d evidently with the intention of making a raft, were now
all that were left to be saved.

Suddenly she gave one heavy lurch, and went down head foremost, leaving
what remained of her crew floating on the waste of waters. "See the
boats all clear, Mr Lowe; burn a blue light on the forecastle, and have
every man at his post ready to hand the royals and heave the brig to."

Hardly had the words been spoken by Captain Weber when a shriek of
anguish rose from the ocean. The cargo of the doomed ship had been
composed of naphtha, and now all at once it rose to the surface,
spreading over the waves and burning furiously. The sailors on the
spars were floating in a sea of fire, and a wail of anguish was given
out by the perishing men. It was a fearful sight as the brig rapidly
neared the fiery spot on the black ocean, the sharp death-cries ceasing
as the fierce flame circled round the unhappy crew. Minutes seemed
hours; and discipline was for the moment lost on board, her crew
crowding the gangways, and shouting to the perishing men words of
encouragement. The oldest sailor there had never before witnessed such
a sight as that presented by this red seething sea of flame, with the
writhing forms of the crew of the lost ship perishing miserably before
their eyes.

"Silence, fore and aft!" shouted Captain Weber. "Heave to, Mr Blount.
Stand by to lower away the cutter. Hold on with the blue light, Mr
Lowe, until the boat is lowered."

"Ay, ay, sir," answered the mate; and then his voice was heard over the
creaking of the tackles, the soughing of the breeze, giving the
necessary words of command, and before the cutter was ready to be
lowered the bows of the "Halcyon" sheered up into the wind, her royals
were let fly, her fore and mainsail hung flapping in the brails, and the
brig was rising and falling on the waves under her foretopsail, jib, and
boom-mainsail.

"Hush," said the captain, after the cutter had pulled some distance from
the brig's sides, "hush, I thought I heard a hail."

The men lay on their oars, the blazing light had gone out as suddenly as
it had been kindled, and the long swell of the ocean tossed the small
boat to and fro under the starlight as though she were a plaything. The
blue light was burning on the "Halcyon's" forecastle, giving her a
ghastly and spectrelike appearance, lighting up her spars, sails, and
rigging, and casting a strange glare on the sea around.

"Brig ahoy! brig ahoy!" came